Lisbon Veterans Home tells appropriators staffing, federal per‑diem and maintenance costs drive budget requests

Kristen Munenberg, chief financial officer of the North Dakota Veterans Home in Lisbon, told the House Appropriations Committee, Human Resources Division, that the facility faces sustained staffing shortages and rising operating costs and asked the Legislature to approve a combination of ongoing and one‑time funding to maintain care levels.

Why it matters: The veterans home provides basic care and skilled nursing to state veterans; reductions in staffing or unaddressed operating costs could force reductions in admissions or services. The home also manages a donor‑funded Melvin Norgard account and sought legislative clarification about whether rents or user fees from new resident garages may be retained in that restricted fund.

Munenberg and new executive director Dane Gribble described facility operations and recent accomplishments, including reopening to volunteers after COVID, technology purchases for resident activities and completion of a pavement mill-and-overlay project. Munenberg told the committee the home has 98 basic‑care beds and 52 skilled‑nursing beds and listed the facility’s current biennium revenues and expenses: a current…